Rate and Review Blue Cross & Blue Shield

- BCBSLA Variable Income Plan falls short of the mark! - - - 2/12/2011 3:30:09 PM
I have been a BCBSLA customer for 7 years. From the outset I had difficulty getting a policy because of a pre-existing condition (for which I did not require treatment). Despite the fact that I had uninterrupted health coverage, they said they would have to put a rider on the policy excluding me for treatment of the condition. This is because they refused to recognize my previous plan because it was not in the U.S.A. (I had lived out of the country for several years so was insured by a European company). They did finally agree to lift the rider on my plan. I have generally been somewhat satisfied with the payment of claims on my general policy. However, over the years I've had several incidents regarding claims which were not paid. Most should have been covered under the wellness benefits, some were denied because of incorrect codes used during the claim process. In every case, it was a battle to finally get what was due to me under the terms of my policy. I did find that BCBSLA will often side with the provider against the member, even when evidence of unfair treatment is provided. My most frustrating problems so far involve a supplementary plan I purchased called the Variable Income Plan (VIP)policy which should pay out a set amount of daily benefits when a member is hospitalized, for a limited time period. I would not recommend this plan to anyone. After years of paying premiums on the plan, my claims have been either lost, denied or paid out to the wrong party (ie: the hospital instead of myself). The amount of frustration in dealing with the VIP department is enormous. I have used the appeals process but to no avail. I will continue to fight what I feel is a very unfair handling of this policy.